Chapter 25 — Brewing Foundations
The flickering candlelight of Snape's office cast long shadows across the stone walls as he leaned over the boy's manuscript. The eagle owl had shifted to a higher perch, its golden eyes half-lidded but still observant, like a silent overseer of the professor's judgment.
The parchment crackled faintly as he turned the page.
Chapter 5: The Language of Ingredients
Each ingredient in potion-making possesses a character, a "voice" of sorts, that responds differently when combined with others. Successful brewers must learn not only recipes but also the nature of each component.
Examples:
• Unicorn hair: stabilizing, draws out purity in a mixture. Must never be paired with corrupting agents like manticore venom.
• Boomslang skin: amplifying, sharpens transformational effects. Works poorly with stabilizers.
• Valerian root: soothing, calms volatility but weakens potency if overused.
• Dittany: regenerative, encourages magical binding but reacts dangerously with corrosives.
Exercise 5: Write a list of ten common ingredients. For each, note whether they are stabilizers, amplifiers, or binders. Then, brew a simple infusion with two ingredients of opposing nature to observe the conflict.
Warning: Never confuse similar ingredients. Mistaking asphodel for aconite has been fatal.
Case Study: In 1971, a careless substitution of monkshood for wormwood resulted in a hallucinogenic brew that lingered for months in the system.
Snape's eyes narrowed, his quill tapping against the parchment. "The language of ingredients." Hmph. Romanticizing the work, yet… not entirely wrong. He treats components as living entities. That shows instinct, at least."
He recalled more than one student — often Slytherins, to his disappointment — who assumed that names alone conferred mastery. To see a nine-year-old attempt to classify stabilizers, amplifiers, and binders suggested an unusual attention to theory.
"Not bad," he murmured grudgingly.
He turned to the next page.
Chapter 6: Safety, Discipline, and the Brewer's Conduct
Potion accidents are more often caused by the brewer than the brew. The brewer must cultivate habits that prevent danger.
• Workspace must always be clean and uncluttered. Wand movements should never be careless around volatile mixtures.
• Long sleeves and loose hair are hazards. Tie back and secure.
• Inhaling fumes must be avoided; use protective enchantments or simmer in well-ventilated areas.
• Brewing with anger or distraction can alter results; intent shapes the magical field around a cauldron.
Exercise 6: Before brewing, practice setting up your table. Lay out ingredients in the order required. Place your knife, scales, and stirring rod neatly. Take three deep breaths before lighting your flame.
Warning: Emotional instability near volatile potions such as Erumpent fluid mixtures may be catastrophic.
Case Study: In 1968, a fifth-year attempted Amortentia while heartbroken. The result was not love, but a cauldron that exploded with fumes of despair, leaving three weeks of melancholy across the dormitory.
Snape's lips twitched into something that was almost — almost — a smile. "Conduct. He preaches order. At least he understands the principle of discipline."
Yet his gaze darkened at the case study. Amortentia… the most dangerous of brews, and too often trivialized. That a child had already read those records unsettled him.
The brat reads widely. Too widely. I have given him over 50 years of reports. How did he even find these accident reports?
The candle guttered as if in agreement with his unease. He pressed forward.
Chapter 7: Brewing as Dialogue
A potion is not a fixed formula. It is a conversation between brewer and brew. While the recipe provides a framework, the brewer's perception, patience, and adaptability determine success.
• Watch the potion's color, viscosity, and steam. They will "speak" of their condition.
• Listen for subtle changes: a hiss, a sputter, a sudden silence. These are warnings or invitations.
• Smell is as vital as sight. The aroma may tell you when to add the next ingredient.
Exercise 7: Brew a simple Calming Draught. Record not only the steps you take but also the sounds, scents, and appearances at each stage. Compare notes with a peer to see how perception differs.
Warning: Do not mistake curiosity for improvisation. Until you master fundamentals, altering recipes is folly.
Case Study: In 1975, a Ravenclaw student attempted to "improve" a Strengthening Solution with salamander blood. The result was a brew that granted strength, yes — but at the cost of searing internal fevers.
Snape's breath stilled as he finished the chapter. His black eyes lingered on the final line.
"A conversation…" he repeated, softly, as though testing the words on his tongue. He dares to treat potion-making as dialogue. Naïve. And yet… isn't that precisely what I teach when I warn my classes to listen, to look, to smell?
The parchment whispered as he closed the page, his long fingers lingering at the edge.
For the first time, Severus Snape felt the faintest flicker of anticipation. If the brat's work held even half as much substance in the remaining chapters, this was no mere child's fancy.
And that thought — the grudging acknowledgment — unsettled him more than any mistake would have.
He leaned back, eyes narrowing at the owl in the corner, as though daring it to mock him.
"Not bad, Weasley," he muttered under his breath. "But you have not convinced me yet."
The eagle owl merely blinked, as if to say the boy's defense needed no words.